How Often Do Supermoons Occur? The October 2016 Event Is More Common Than You Think

Use "super" as a qualifier, and a mythical sense of rarity begins to sneak in: Superman, Super Bowl, Supermoon. But while there's only one Superman, and only one Super Bowl, how often do supermoons occur? Are these celestial events really as unparalleled as they sound?

Because this term is relatively broad, there are, on average, four to six "supermoons" per year. In 2016, we will ultimately experience six, because what is 2016 if not "celestially extra." (Just kidding — 2016 is a giant trash fire. We all know that.) On Oct. 16, the third "supermoon" of the year will rise, followed by one on Nov. 14 and one on Dec. 14. The October full moon is regarded as the Hunter Moon, so named because it once represented the ideal time to begin hunting and preserving meat in preparation for the winter.

If you're tracking the lunar cycle, you'll note that a full moon on Oct. 16 means a very spooky, very dark, very moon-less Halloween night is on the docket; we'll be seeing a new moon on Oct. 30, so we'll only see a tiny sliver of moonlight on Oct. 31.